Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

It has been a while since I have written my annual letter…sorry. We can only do what we can! I hope you had a marvelous holiday with your families and friends.

The Fairley household has had a busy year, as always. Life revolves around the kids - Michael is 14 now, Ian is 12 ½ and Grace is 5 – and we love it that way!

Some quick updates on everyone –
Richard was tapped by the Archdiocese of Baltimore to be the principal of St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown, MD, about half an hour west of Frederick (http://www.goretti.org/). So after two years of driving to Baltimore (Cardinal Gibbons)….about an hour less driving every day so everyone wins! He really likes it and is busy starting a lacrosse club with some of the parents as well. He is still on the local ARC Board and now also on our church’s parish council.

Michael is wrapping up middle school (8th grade) at Mother Seton (http://www.mothersetonschool.org/) in Emmitsburg, MD (half hour north of us), and will decide soon on either Goretti or Frederick High (private vs. public). While he is a great student, his life revolves around sports, especially lacrosse (he still did Spires Club this spring but is playing Fastlax mostly which is a combination Frederick County team; another broken finger in the spring..sigh; goalie camp at Washington College in Chestertown, MD, etc etc), basketball (West Frederick Middle), his posse’ and his phone (…no comment). The child is now 6’ with size 14 feet.

Ian is in 7th grade at Mother Seton and is definitely going to Goretti he says. So there. No growth spurt yet but he has already implemented the Fairley wit - “another Ian-ism” we say regularly. Great student (one more A+ than his brother he notes), terrific kid and a superb horse for Grace’s horsey-riding. Ian is also the owner ( = walker) of Jackson, the large, black Russian terrier (we got him at 12 months old, free on Craig’s’ List as his previous owners decided 4 dogs was one too many…imagine that), who sheds and jumps on people. What happened to the little, foo- foo, no-shed dog that I wanted??

Grace is in charge of us all, of course. She started kindergarten this fall but we have migrated to a happy mix of special-ed pre K in the mornings and afternoon kindergarten (no half day option in Frederick anymore). Loveable, funny, sweet and a dancer. Likes wearing bathing suits, sitting on Jackson, breakfast bars, basketball games and milk. She is smart and has very good receptive skills. Expressive is another story as she has “oral motor processing issues”. She is a lucky girl to have two brothers that show such love to her.

For me, the second half of 2008 was spent regrouping with my family and work, after the first half…. I spent the summer of 2007-through the spring of 2008 travelling to and from Halifax to be with my mom as she battled colon cancer. Chemo bought us some good months and Leo, Henk and I are grateful for the extra time we had with her before she died at the end of April. We can not say thank you enough to her sister, Sari, and all of Mom’s friends for their support and acts of kindness to us all. And to our families for taking on the loads at home. Leo, Henk and I spent quality time together, too, which was a blessing.

We were also blessed to have met our wonderful Newfoundland ladies, Tanya and Ger, who provided home care to Mom. I wish we had something comparable in the U.S. Tanya and Ger rotated every three weeks or so, and lived in with mom, taking care of everything for her. I also got to see, as a result, more of my Dad, who still lives in St. Margaret’s Bay with Helen.

Mom knew that we were finishing our cottage at Brazil Lake, outside Yarmouth. We have had land on the lake for awhile and finally sold the RV. It meant a lot to me that she got to see pictures as it was being built and finally finished. We spent a month there this summer, just hanging out with family and friends. After we left, Dutch relatives who had come to Canada for Dad’s 70th birthday, stayed there, and Dad and Helen also got a weekend in. We are looking forward to seeing more guests in the future – there is lots of room and extra bunks in the boat house!

I am still a partner at Draper & McGinley, doing mostly tax, but also more divorce work especially in the areas of mediation and collaborative divorce. I find it very challenging and rewarding when I can help people settle things amicably as the “financial neutral” and recommend ideas for financial settlements that are best for both sides.

I am still busy with a bunch of boards – Community Foundation of Frederick County, Rotary Club of Carroll Creek and Frederick Mutual – and committees. I am blessed with great friends, too. The Sisters (aka “The bad Habits” are still active and planning the next SKD parish disco and also an act for the variety show).

Rich and I do try and get away a few times a year, just the two of us, and this year spent weekends in Alexandria (Virginia) and Harrisburg (PA). Rich took Ian to Notre Dame (Indiana) for a football game and in May we all went to Foxborough (Massachusetts) for the NCAA Men’s National Lacrosse Championships (Richard’s 50th birthday present J). In September, another road trip to Wilmington (North Carolina) for Beth’s (Richard’s sister) wedding.

Richard’s family is still growing leaps and bounds. From the 8 siblings, there have been 28 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 3 more great grandchildren on the way (I think). Mrs. Fairley is still a 2 minute drive down the street from us and is doing pretty well.
Wishing you all a blessed 2009....

Love, Cat